Lately...

We are so loving this spring weather! It’s been nice and warm, and the kids have been sleeping in, probably because they’ve been running around outside so much! I love it! Jacob did drive up to meet us in Utah last week. We went with Grandma & Grandpa and Mackenzie & Lance to Salt Lake to see Disney on Ice. Ever since we got the tickets, Sage and Keiger have been quite excited to see Mickey Mouse ice skate. They were both a bit overwhelmed to walk into the huge arena with all the lights and people.

Sage loved every minute. She insisted that we stay in our seats so we wouldn’t miss the any minute of the show. Keiger pretty much cowered in Jacob’s lap the whole time. He did perk up when he saw Mickey Mouse and Peter Pan.

He’s remarked several times since the show that the monkeys from the Lion King segment “scare me.” I don’t blame him; they were spooky-looking. He’s such a goofy kid. The stuff he comes up with is crazy. We seriously need to make him a t-shirt that says, “HUH?” in huge letters right across the front of it because that is his trademark saying. One day while we were in the car, Sage started singing the words to “Mama Mia.” So now every once in a while Kei will sing what he knows of the song and ask, “Good song, Mama? Good song?” Yes, good song.
We also rode the Railrunner from Ogden to Salt Lake so the kids could have their first train ride. They loved it.

We also drove up to Idaho Falls to see Jacob’s Grandma and Grandpa for a couple of days. The kids had a great time playing with Alan and Mary’s kids. Who wouldn’t? Jacob and I still can’t get over how much those kids have grown!

Yesterday we went hiking with some friends down the bank of the Rio Grande where there are some natural hot springs. Both kids did a great job hiking. Sage is a wonderful, uncomplaining hiker as long as you tell her stories, so she knows just about every story Jake and I could come up with about our childhood pets. Anyway, Kei hiked down and rode the backpack up. The hot springs were so neat; I’d never been to one before. One pool was comfortably warm so we stripped the kids down to their undies and plopped them in. They had a ball! Kei, on the other hand, didn’t want to get in. Next time we definitely need to pack swimsuits and towels. We had a fun picnic lunch and even tried to fish for a bit. All of those kids were beat by the end of the day. It was soo nice to get outside! We’ve been trying to figure out what we want to attempt to garden this year. Jacob is planning to construct a greenhouse—there always seems to be a project to do!

Chicken Songs and Bunk Beds

Sorry, no pics to post right now. I'm actually in Utah with the kids for a few days until Jacob comes up to meet us next week. You can tell I'm used to small towns because I was so stressed driving the busy freeway from Orem to Ogden. So stressed. I like little roads, even if they are dusty and full of potholes. One of the reasons we were shying away from the mini-van was because we weren't sure if it would be able to make it over all the roads in Taos. I still need 4-wheel drive to do my visiting teaching until all the snow and mud goes away...even then I'm a bit unsure. Anyway, Nani & Papa and Shayla came for a visit last week, and we had lots of fun exploring the town and hanging out. Dave and Jacob put up the new bunk bed, which has become the best new toy for the kids. They play all over it, and Kei has only fallen from the ladder once...so far! Sage is truly growing up. I can't believe she's sleeping on the top bunk. The other night, I was trying to come up with some ideas for storytime at the library the next day. The theme was on chickens, I asked at dinner if anyone knew any poems or songs about chickens. Sage came up with this great song about a chicken. It went something like this, "A chicken was jumping on the trampoline. She fell off!" The kids laugh. Then Kei adds, "Bump head!!" The kids laugh even harder. So the next morning, as I'm starting storytime, Sage jumps up in front of all these people and sings her chicken song, with Keiger's addition. All those cute storytime kids thought it was funny. We have been able to meet some really nice people through storytime. So that's what's new with us, unless Jacob has anything else to add from Taos.